Public Transport and Mobility

Indian cities were originally designed as compact entities to reduce travel trip length. But with rapid urbanization and motorization, our sprawling cities are becoming victims of killer pollution, congestion, and a crippling oil guzzling, car dependent infrastructure that endangers our quality of life.

Buses provide the bulk of public transport services in many Indian cities. Its share in daily travel in bigger cities can be as high as 40-60 per cent. Cities are looking at bus transport reforms to reduce auto mobile dependence, congestion, and pollution. Cities like Delhi are setting such high targets as 80 per cent public transport share by 2020, but such a goal can be met only if bus transport is scaled up.

Bus, walk and cycle power India’s mobility. Yet rapid motorization is snuffing life out of cities. Can Delhi and other cities reinvent the dream of mobility to get out of this urban nightmare? This needs inventive thinking, action and confidence to break out of the arrogance of old ideas!